


5 times Papa II is able to save Papa III +1 time he can't

by Oreo_Breadstick



Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, III is Cambino, Papa I is also a good brother he just isn't featured a lot, Papa II's name is Dante, Sibling Fluff, minor gore, papa II also has a romantic subplot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-16
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-19 22:35:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20664914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oreo_Breadstick/pseuds/Oreo_Breadstick
Summary: It might not seem like it at first glance, but Dante loves his little brother and would do anything to protect him from harm. This includes almost sacrificing his own life to save him.Part of the Ghost BC Big Bang 2019





	1. 1. Playground (17 and 6)

It was a beautiful day outside, a day the second Emeritus would prefer to spend sitting under a tree, reading a book. Maybe just a bit too close to a couple of siblings of sin so that he was just in their line of sight. Not close enough for them to be able to strike up a conversation but just close enough that he could hear all the hushed whispers about him. He relished in getting to listen to exactly what they would be saying about him. Only the good things of course, but if there were bad things - which he was sure there were plenty of- they would be speaking about that in the privacy of their rooms, not outside where everyone could hear. 

Then when they would be talking about him long enough, when he had heard them giggle softly or he had heard enough of them singing hushed praises about him, he would turn towards them slowly, take off his sunglasses and wink, then he’d quickly go back to his book to hide his laughter at the giggles or sputtering that would erupt from the group when they realized he had heard everything they had said. 

“Dante, you need to take care of Cambino today. Take him to the playground.” He had almost been able to escape to the library to get a book, he could have hidden there until the threat was resolved but when his little brother was unceremoniously shoved into his arms by his older brother he knew he wasn't going to get away. 

He sighed annoyed as he looked down at his little brother wriggling around in his arms. Cambino had been begging to go to the playground for weeks and now he was finally getting what he wanted. And Dante was going to be the victim for having to take him there. As always.

Of course Dante understood how their elder brother was really busy now that he was crowned papa and how their father was way too old to go to a playground with a six year old all alone. He still didn't truly understand why exactly their father had wanted a third heir if he already had two, of course he did have his suspicions but he tried not to think about them too much. They hurt to think about. 

He tried to protest some more but his elder was already walking out of the room, undoubtedly wanting to avoid any more whining. He sighed again and looked down at his little brother still trying to wrestle himself out of his arms. Cambino didn't like to be picked up very much, always insisting he was big enough to not be picked up every second.  
When Dante looked down at him he stopped and looked up at his older brother, meeting his eyes and blinking innocently. 

“Are we going to the playground, Dante?” He asked softly and Dante couldn't do anything else but say yes. There was just something about his little brother that made people always agree with him and do whatever he wants. Little shit. 

Dante put Cambino on the ground so he could walk on his own and he grabbed the book he had intended to read today and slipped his sunglasses on. Even if his previous plans for the day had been ruined he could still sit down and read while at the same time making sure Cambino wouldn’t do things that were too dangerous. Right before they left, he stopped to pick up a packet of band aids, stuffing it into his pocket. Maybe they would need them. 

Now Dante was sitting in the grass, against a tree and reading. Sunglasses still on, occasionally looking up to watch his brother slide down the little slide, or watch him play with a little girl on the seesaw. Cambino was having lots of fun it seemed, he was glad because that meant he wouldn’t bother him for a while. Or so he thought. 

When he finished his chapter five minutes later, he looked up to see how his brother was doing and his heart almost skipped a beat when he saw Cambino hanging upside down from the monkey bars by his feet. His shirt had slid down a little to expose his white belly as he was talking to the little girl that he was playing with earlier. He didn't seem to be in any immediate danger but if he fell he could definitely break his neck. 

Before he knew, he had put his book down and was walking over to the monkey bars. He didn’t want to intervene but hanging by your feet from monkey bars wasn’t exactly what people would deem as safe. When he got closer, the small girl Cambino was talking to saw him and ran away, maybe she was scared of him. Cambino didn't seem to mind because the second he saw his brother he smiled happily.

“Dante! Look I’m a bat!” Cambino yelled as he spread his arms and flapped them to imitate wings. Dante couldn’t suppress a grin at his excited expression. When he reached the monkey bars he first quickly checked how Cambino had situated himself, he seemed to be surprisingly steady for just hanging by his feet. 

“Are you sure this is safe, Fratellino.” He asked, smiling. Cambino was looking up at him from where he was hanging and he immediately nodded when he was asked.

“Yep! Totally safe!” He replied with a grin and swung himself back and forth just a bit. Dante looked at him and saw how his face was so red that it could not possibly be comfortable anymore to just hang upside down. To confirm what he thought he looked at how exactly Cambino had situated himself with his feet.  
“Are you sure? It seems to me like you’re stuck.” He told his little brother and Cambino’s face fell from a confident grin to a frown with a pout so quickly it was almost comical. 

“Yeah I’m stuck…” He admitted and looked up and showed just how stuck he was by trying to reach the bars with his hands so he could pull himself upright, unhook his feet and then hang by his hands so he could let go and land on his feet. 

Dante rolled his eyes, still wearing the smile he got when seeing his little brother hang upside down and grabbed him under the armpits, hoisting him up so he could reach the monkey bars. Then he let go of him so Cambino could do the rest himself, falling down feet first in the sand only seconds later. 

The second he was on the ground he ran away laughing happily in the same direction the girl had run off to without stopping to say thank you. He let it go for now, not really caring for it. He turned around and walked back to the place he was sitting before. When he sat back down he started flipping through the pages to get back to where he had left off. Only to be distracted by a girl sitting down right next to him. 

She had red hair just like the little girl Cambino was playing with. Dante assumed it was her older sister, also resigned to the cruel fate of having to watch a little sibling. She was sitting pretty close to him. There was a lot of empty space all around the playground where she could have sat down. She was interested in him.

“So nice, how you helped your little brother.” She spoke, her voice soft and nice to listen to. When he looked into her eyes he was captivated. Her nose was slightly crooked, interesting. Perhaps there was a story behind that. He was still wearing sunglasses, he wanted to take them off but was afraid that his one white eye would freak her out enough to make her not want to talk anymore.  
He felt he didn't want her to leave just yet.

“Well. I can’t just leave him to hang there like that, Can I?” He asked and smiled when he got her to let out a soft laugh. She leaned into his shoulder gently and he could feel the warmth radiating from her, his heart decided to skip a beat at the gentle touch.

“That’s true, but it would be a whole lot easier.” She told him and he chuckled lightly. She managed to reel him in more and more with every word she said. He wasn't used to it people getting close to him so easily but it was a welcome change. 

“So, what is your name?” She asked, she kept drawing closer to him and was now definitely leaning into his shoulder. The way she was twirling the white streak in her red hair left him under the definite impression that she was indeed flirting with him. Like it wasn't clear before. She was so close. He had to suppress a shiver at the way her hair lightly brushed his neck.

“My name is Dante, what about yours.” He wanted to know so desperately what her name was, he had never wanted to know a name so badly. He wanted to know if the name matched with the impression he had of her in this short amount of time. He thought about it and his mind cycled through the names that he thought would fit her well, but none of them fit enough. 

“Dante, that’s a nice name…” She spoke, he liked how she said his name. Somehow she had gotten even closer to him, looking straight into his eyes through the sunglasses as if she could just see them. He found he couldn't look away anymore.

“My name is Aspen.” She told him and right then he knew he would never forget.  
He didn't want to take off his sunglasses even more now. The more he talked to her, the longer she was around him, the less he wanted her to leave. He didn't want to scare her off but he didn't have the feeling she would be scared at all. The only thing he knew for sure was that if he waited longer to just take off the sunglasses he would be getting more nervous as time went on. She already made him nervous, no need for the simple act of taking off sunglasses to make him more nervous. 

“Aspen… I like that name. It fits you. Of course I wouldn’t know for sure if it actually does until I get to know you more.” He was glad he was still able to flirt as always, even if her being this close affected him so much. The laugh she let out made his heart flutter.

That convinced him, before he could change his mind he took off the sunglasses, blinking in the bright light as he neatly folded up them up so he could put them in the case. When he looked back up at her, she was primarily looking at his white eye, her stare wasn't judgemental or disgusted. It looked more like curiosity with a bit of surprise mixed in. Of course she hadn’t expected something like this. But when she looked him in both his eyes with a smile he knew it was okay. 

“What’s the story behind that?” She asked curiously. An enormous feeling of relief swept through him, he really liked this girl, he didn't want her to leave. She didn't seem like she’d be weirded out by anything in his life. Not the satanism, not even being the next in line to be papa if for some reason Federico turned out to not be great papa material after all. He hoped she wouldn’t be weirded out by any of that, but she didn't seem like the type to be actually weirded out by it. Maybe she would want to learn more about it. 

Of course that didn't mean he was going to tell her all about it immediately, that would be weird. She wanted to know about the eye though, which meant he had to find an excuse. He had never had to explain something like this to an outsider, now he wished he had thought about that more. Maybe he shouldn’t lie after all.

“Dante?” He heard then, his little brother’s voice. Saving him from having to think of a lie that would justify having a white eye. He looked around, trying to find the place where Cambino was calling him from. He sounded a bit panicked. 

When Cambino called his name again, he realized it came from above. More specifically, the top of the very tall tube slide connected to the tallest piece of equipment on the entire playground. The slide looked very steep and since it was a tube it would most likely be very dark inside.  
.“What is it, Cambino…” He called up at him, the chance that Cambino had only called him to show just how high up he was, was small. 

“Dante?” He asked again, his voice now so soft that he could barely hear him.

“Yes?” He was absolutely not in the mood to climb up all the way to help. Especially not with Aspen right here next to him. 

“I’m afraid to go down the slide.” Shit. 

“Can’t you just climb back down?” He tried but Cambino was already shaking his head before he had even finished the sentence.

“I can’t, It’s scary!” Looks like he was going to have to do it anyway. He looked back at Aspen and sighed, rolling his eyes as he nodded in the direction of Cambino up in the playground tower. She smiled and took his hand, making the light feeling bubble back up in his stomach, pushing away the annoyance he felt at having to save his little brother. Aspen then took her phone and opened the contacts before handing it to him so he could put in his number. He quickly did that and gave it back to her, their hands briefly touching as he did. After the tension that was hanging between them he had to stop himself from startling as they touched. 

He didn't want to go, he wanted to stay here and look into her eyes and talk to her about everything that would come to his mind. But he knew he had to go, he couldn't just leave Cambino up there. She had his phone number. He hoped desperately that she would actually call. 

“Go be a hero.” She told him, putting a hand on his shoulder as he stood up. He chuckled softly, saving your little brother from a high place was hardly a heroic thing in his opinion, at most it was an obligation of older siblings. He walked to the installation and looked up. He saw Cambino looking down at him from way up there with wide fearful eyes. 

He sighed deeply and bowed down to get under the gate to get inside of the contraption, he was way too tall for this his knees already started aching the second he bowed down to get inside. The second he straightened a bit when he was inside he bumped his head into the low wooden ceiling. 

“Fucking…” He growled and rubbed his head annoyed as he bowed back down. This fucking contraption was definitely designed with way younger children in mind. He had to bow down on his knees to crawl over the wooden flooring as he slowly started making his way up to the top. He had to climb up a ledge and get up on it entirely before being able to climb up on the next one. His pants were going to be ruined. His elbows were already chaving.

When he had climbed what felt like a hundred ledges, he got to a ladder. It was straight up and the steps had probably been beams when the ladder was first installed but were used so much that they now looked more like cylinders. Very smooth cylinders that would be way too easy to slip on. He understood now why Cambino was scared to climb back down.

Dante looked up to see if he was getting close to the top, he didn't know if he could handle climbing like this a lot longer. He sighed softly in relief when he saw Cambino peeking over the edge of the stairwell. Thank Satan he was almost there.

He started climbing the ladder, it was just a bit taller than him so he would only have to climb a couple steps before he could pull himself up. Everything was going just fine but when he stepped onto the third step he slipped, the soles of his shoes were smooth and barely had any grip on the steps, he was luckily still holding on by his hands so he wouldn’t fall down all the way but one of his knees slammed into one of the steps. He hissed in pain and clenched his teeth to stop himself from cursing in front of Cambino. He swore in that second he was going to sue whoever the owner of the playground was for neglect of equipment and endangerment of children. He was relieved that Cambino had been too scared to climb back down, he could have gotten really hurt.  
When he managed to get up the ladder, he understood immediately why Cambino was scared to go down the slide, it was so incredibly dark, it looked like a black hole. He felt his little brother wrap his arms around his neck, hugging him. He felt from how tight he was hugging him that he had been really scared.

“Frate! I knew you’d come!” He said softly, relief evident in his in his voice. Dante couldn't believe he had actually considered to not come help him.  
“Of course! Now let’s get down this slide together, shall we?” He asked and Cambino nodded happily. Dante stood up and stretched lightly, so glad that the ceiling was high enough for him to stand up fully, though when he put his weight on his sore knee he felt it starting to hurt a lot more. 

He sat down at the beginning of the slide and got Cambino to sit down in between his legs, he wrapped his arms around him protectively and Cambino grabbed at his arms. It wasn't a very tight grip, but tight enough that Dante knew he was still scared. 

“Are you ready?” He asked and immediately his little brother nodded, he didn't know if Cambino nodded because he just wanted to get this over with or because he felt safe with Dante’s arms around him. He hoped it was the latter.

He slid forward enough for them to start sliding, not counting down before they would go because that would only serve for Cambino to get more nervous. The slide was definitely way steeper than they had expected. It went a lot faster too. Cambino let out a soft shriek as they went down, the grip on Dante’s arms tightening significantly.  
When they got all the way down Dante released his little brother from his grip and Cambino jumped out of his arms, landing in the sand with a giggle. He was proud of himself that he had accomplished his goal of going down the slide. 

“Again!” He said happily, Dante immediately shut that horrible idea down by calmly shaking his head. Cambino only looked disappointed for a second before bouncing back to his usual cheery self.  
Then he noticed his little brother was wearing shorts. He had nothing over his knees that could have protected him from climbing the rough wood of the equipment. His knees looked very painful and red, although he had had more luck with not getting any wounds on his hands and he was so short that he didn't have to crawl on his elbows, so he wouldn’t have any injuries there.

Dante took Cambino’s hand and led him to the place where he was sitting before, the tree was still providing enough shadow for now. To his disappointment, Aspen was nowhere to be seen. Though he smiled when he remembered she had his number. He sat down in the soft grass after he took the band aids out of his pocket. It was good that he had taken the time to stuff them in his pocket. 

He took two of the bigger bandages and put them on Cambino’s knees, covering up the wounds successfully. When he was done Cambino reached over to take the band aids. Slowly he started peeling the protective covers of the band aids. Then he took his big brother’s hand, carefully putting the bandaids on the painful spots he had gotten. Cambino repeated that slow process for his other hand and then his elbows. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he tried to perfectly stick the bandaids on the places that hurt.

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” Cambino asked, reaching for the bandaids again. Dante almost laughed at how serious he was about all this. At the same time a fondness for him settling in his heart.

“I bumped my knee and my head, but those pains are inside of my body so you can’t put a bandaid on that.” He should have known that wouldn’t stop Cambino from doing it anyway. Putting a bandaid on his left knee through the hole in his pants that had ripped there from crawling so much. It was a miracle he didn't have actual wounds on his knees. 

Dante couldn't suppress a chuckle as Cambino carefully placed a bandaid on his forehead. Following it with a very soft kiss on the bandaid as well. It was not on the place where he had actually bumped his head but he was just glad he hadn’t ended up with a bandaid sticking in his hair.

While Cambino checked him everywhere for other wounds he could stick bandaids on, Dante took out his phone and looked at the time. Lunchtime at the church had already passed. Dante knew they weren’t going to be able to get any food there, if you miss lunchtime you will have to wait for dinner, go into town to get food yourself. Or you have to beg for food, they were at a high position in the clergy so if they were to go to the kitchen and ask, they would most certainly get something.

He didn’t want to teach his little brother how to beg for food just yet, he knew that Cambino would abuse that power. It would also be highly irresponsible of him to teach his little brother something like that. So he had to come up with a different plan. 

“How about Ice cream for lunch?”


	2. 2. After School (19 and 8)

Dante was walking across the street, finally away from the clergy for a bit and finally able to breathe normally again. The last days at the clergy had been absolute hell; and not in the good way. Everyone wanted to talk to him about everything. Of course he understood why, now that it was confirmed to everyone that he would become the new papa if his older brother were to retire. Siblings and higher ups would want to talk to him and want his opinion on things he didn't care about. He understood they wanted to be in his good graces for when the time would come but he knew it wasn't going to be for a long time.

He had been looking for ways to escape from the pressure in the clergy, even for just a little bit. His schedule was packed with lessons, more lessons than anyone his age. Way more homework too, he often worked until deep in the night just to get everything done. It was cruel. One time he forgot a couple of questions and the teachers, those rats, immediately told his father and he got in trouble.Today had been different, he had actually finished his work early, he didn't know how he did it but he was relieved he did. Unfortunately he didn't have any excuse to avoid the people that oh so desperately wanted to talk to him then. So when he heard about nobody having a gap in their schedule to pick up Cambino from school he had gracefully jumped in.

He had never really understood why they were sent off to the primary school in town, away from the church where all the other clergy children were sent.  
It was all covered up with the obvious lie of being able to learn from experiences with people of different faiths, therefore with that knowledge becoming a better papa one day.  
It was an easily debunked lie because then they would have also been sent to a public high school and the church would be advising the parents in the clergy to send their children to a public school as well.  
He strongly suspected that they were just being sent away every day to get rid of them, keep them busy with the school day and then later on the day keep them quiet by force feeding them the same classes about Satanism the other clergy kids had in the morning. He had tried to talk to Federico about it once, to get his opinion. Federico had also gone to the same school, just like their father, and their father’s father.  
Federico had seemed really willing to talk about it, maybe he had also noticed that being sent to the public school did not make as much sense as they thought when they were younger. But right before they could actually sit down and talk about it, Federico had been whisked away because of some important matters. Papal matters. Dante had been promised they would talk about it later but they had never actually found the time to talk to each other in great length again.

He remembered what it had been like for him at this school, he had been so glad to go back home every day. Way happier to learn what was taught about Satan and Latin than being at this school. He would probably have liked the other ‘normal’ classes as well if he was going to school back at the church with the kids he actually knew. The entire vibe of this public school just threw him off. He had so often tried to act like he was sick, he had tried to hide under his bed, he had tried to just run away from the sibling that would bring him to school. He had tried it all, but had never been able to get out of going to school.

When he walked through the gate to the schoolyard he saw just how many parents were already standing there, he wondered briefly if the teachers would still recognize him and immediately he promised himself he would not stay here long enough for anyone to have the chance to recognize him. He really didn't feel like lying about what he was doing now. What he was studying right now. He wondered if they recognized Cambino’s last name and connected it to his. Everyone always told them they looked alike after all.

He looked over the schoolyard at all the parents, most of them bragging to each other about the achievements their wonderful children had to their names. It was disgusting.  
He sighed and looked at his phone to busy himself, five more minutes until the kids would come streaming out of the building for their parents to collect. He sighed again. Five more minutes until he could get out of this shithole. When he looked up from his phone to scan over the crowd to see if some wayward children had found their way out of the building yet, his eyes fell onto a familiar redheaded girl. What a coincidence.

Right when he spotted her, Aspen looked up and locked eyes with him. Immediately when she saw him she smiled happily and waved him over. He felt a smile tug at his lips. He wondered briefly if she had seen it from so far away. When he walked over to her she started smiling again, he moved to stand next to her so they could both watch the school’s entrance, he wanted to take her hand in his but decided against it. Clasping both his hands behind his back as he stood up straight.  
“So Olivia goes to school here?” There was no way there was any other reason  
“Yes, she does. I went to a different primary school, my parents decided this would be a better place for her to be.” She said with a shrug.  
“Was your school actually worse than this one?” He asked with a light chuckle, he knew from experience that this school was in fact, not good.  
“My school was worse than any primary school in the world. I’ll tell you about it some other time. What about you? Why are you here?”  
“The clergy got really stuffy, now that everyone knows I’m going to be papa they all want to get on my good side. It got really claustrophobic, so I offered to get Cambino from school so I could get away from it all.” He was so happy and relieved that he had told her all about the clergy about a year ago so he could vent about it to her whenever he wanted.

He had told her the goal and morals of Satanism and the more he told her about it, the more enthusiastic she got about it all. A lot of the morals in satanism already were morals she used for herself. She had already told him she wanted to join the clergy. Not immediately though, first she wanted to finish her studies. Marine biology.  
Her hand wrapped around his arm and squeezed comfortingly before pulling away again. They both weren’t that big on PDA but at this moment he desperately wanted her to take his hand again, maybe even for her to just pull him in her arms.

“That sucks…” She whispered and leaned against him gently, that way they were still touching but to other people it would look like they were just standing very close together.

“I’m glad you’re here. We have to talk about tomorrow.” She told him, effectively pulling him out of his sad thoughts. Their second year anniversary was tomorrow and both of them had not been able to come up with an actual good idea to spend the day. The only thing they had going for them was a failsafe. If they really couldn't come up with other plans, they would rent a hotel room and buy a ton of snacks and just watch movies all night.

Dante had first wanted to take her on a trip to Paris or Rome but he knew that was a bit over the top. It was only their second anniversary and they both were only nineteen. Besides, Aspen was in the middle of college, it would be selfish of him to just pull her away from that.

“I was thinking, maybe we could go to the beach or something, leave in the morning. I looked at the weather forecast and it’s going to be very sunny. We could go swimming or just sit on some towels and tan. We can have lunch and dinner in a beach pavilion.” She suggested and he turned to her and smiled brightly.  
“That would be delightful… You always have the best ideas.” He said gently, he had the urge to gently cup her cheeks and kiss her mouth. He loved telling her things like that, praising her, making her feel happy and wanted. He wanted to talk to her more, plan for the following day when he heard a cry of pain.

Cambino.

He looked over at the door of the school but didn't see him, children were coming out, talking happily among each other while others saw their parents and ran up to show them things they made or to excitedly tell them about their day. He checked everywhere, no Cambino.

“Dante? Are you alright?” He heard and his head snapped back to look at Aspen, he wondered if he had really heard it when he heard Cambino again, this time really crying. He felt a cold hand wrap around his heart. He knew he was starting to breathe faster. He looked back at the door, desperately trying to see if Cambino was there somewhere.

“Dante…” He felt Aspen place a hand on his shoulder, trying to get his attention or to get him to calm down a bit, how he was acting must have looked very concerning.

“Something is wrong with Cambino.” He whispered, still staring at the door.

“Dante, you’re very white…”  
“I need to go see if he’s okay…” He wanted to just run to the door to go and find Cambino but before he could leave he felt Aspen take his hand. Immediately when he looked back at her his breathing slowed down a little and he felt himself relax significantly when she gently squeezed his hand.

“Be careful, okay?” She whispered and when he nodded she let go of his hand. He was so glad, she didn't try to stop him from whatever he was going to do. She understood perfectly that he needed to go in there and find Cambino right now, even if she couldn't hear the crying herself.

The crying had started again and didn't stop anymore. It broke his heart to hear his little brother in pain like this. Dante didn't know how he was hearing it, but there was no time to question things like that.

When he threw the door open, the crying suddenly became so loud that it was hurting his ears. He quickly started to wander through the school. Still knowing his way around but having no idea where Cambino could be. The deafening volume of the cries did not change anywhere, no matter where he was walking. Just when he started to question his sanity, it just stopped entirely. He looked around frowning, this was the hallway just outside of the third grade classroom. Was he really losing his mind?

Then he started hearing it again. This time he knew it wasn't in his head, it was soft and he could follow the sound this time. He turned a couple of corners. Now not only hearing cries, but also hushed voices.

As he rounded one more corner he stopped dead in his tracks, his heart dropped at the sight in front of him.  
Cambino was on the floor, curled up to try and protect himself from the kicks and hits being landed everywhere on him by kids who looked the same age as him. They were laughing cruelly as they were hurting him. Cambino’s crying was muffled because he was covering his head to try and prevent himself from being kicked there.

“What the fuck do you think you are doing.” Now enraged, Dante stomped over, how dare someone hurt his little brother like that. When the kids noticed he was there, they all quickly jumped away from Cambino, one kid stayed. He had not heard Dante’s growl and was turned away from him. Still kicking his defenseless brother in the stomach.

Dante was furious and stormed over to the kid, grabbing him by his shirt to get him out of the way. When Dante picked him up, the kid panicked and kicked around causing Dante to get a tiny fist to come flailing into his nose. It wasn’t nearly hard enough to do any damage but definitely hard enough to make him even more annoyed. He flung the kid out of the way angrily and then kneeled down next to the still crying Cambino.

Immediately Dante pulled him into his arms, gentle to not cause him any more distress. The kids ran away from the scene as Cambino opened his eyes to look up at him, starting to cry even harder when he realized his big brother had come to save him.  
Cambino desperately clung to him. Dante was holding him close to comfort him and he felt his shirt getting soaked by tears. He did not care at all, just holding him and letting him cry.

“Shhh, shhh, va bene Fratellino, sei al sicuro.” He whispered. He was stroking his little brother’s hair, still holding him close as the sobs wrecked his small body. he wanted Cambino to calm down a bit before he could inspect him for any serious injuries he might have, He also hoped Cambino could tell him the names of the children that did this to him.  
He wouldn’t go and beat up those kids himself, of course. Even if he wanted to make them pay so badly, he knew the best way to solve this was to talk to teachers and parents. Frankly, he didn't care what exactly he had to do, but he was going to make sure something like this would never happen again.

He noticed Cambino’s erratic breathing slowly subsiding. The tight grip on Dante’s shirt getting looser. The boy slowly calming down, comforted by his big brother’s presence. Dante gently coaxed Cambino to look up at him so he could talk to him and see if he was badly wounded.

First when Dante saw blood he panicked a little before finding out that the bloody nose had already stopped because of him being buried in his older brother’s shirt. It probably hadn't been that big a bloody nose either. Dante’s shirt had blood on it too. Not that he minded of course. Especially not when he saw that his brother’s left eye was already swelling up. His lip was split and there were multiple scratches on his cheeks. He didn't want to imagine what Cambino looked like under his clothes. He would probably have bruises everywhere, those were going to be hurting him for a long time.

“What are their names.” He asked, stopping the growl from leaving his throat just in time. He didn't want to scare Cambino even more right now. The boy looked at the blood he had left on his big brother’s shirt and then wiped his nose. Looking at his hand relieved that it had stopped bleeding.

“I’m sorry for the blood…” He mumbled softly.

“Don’t be sorry… You did nothing wrong…” Dante soothed him and Cambino sniffled. Tears started filling his eyes again as he buried his face back into Dante’s chest, searching for more comfort. He mumbled something unintelligible, muffled by the shirt.

“What was that?” Dante asked gently and Cambino raised his head a bit to answer him. He must have realized that talking straight into his big brother’s chest was not a great way of communication.

“Peter, Allison, Oliver and Robin…” He whispered. That was good enough. First names were not enough to take immediate action but he would figure out who they were. He remembered their faces, he would find them easily. He would find out their full names and go to the teacher and wouldn't relent until they were punished. Maybe if they were all in the same class he didn't even need their last names.

“Why were they doing this to you?” Cambino had buried his face back into Dante’s chest and Dante had to remind him that he couldn't hear him if he talked like that.

“They said I was different…” It was such a simple sentence and yet Dante’s heart broke all over again. He had been the same. Different, not good or even normal enough to be invited to play during recess. But the crucial difference between them was that he also didn't want to. Dante didn't care that nobody wanted to play with him. He did not want to play with them either. Didn't care what they said about him. He had never tried to stop them from badmouthing him, he never gave them any reaction. Because of that, it got boring trying to bully him. So eventually he got just left alone.

Cambino had most likely tried to make them stop. He couldn't get the bullies to think he didn't care because he cared too much. He always wants people to like him. He was so busy trying to get people to enjoy his presence that he didn't realize how it only fueled the bullies to do more damage.

“Dante... Can we go home?” He asked and Dante nodded, gathering him up in his arms to be able to pick him up more easily.  
He held Cambino close as he stood and held him up so the boy could wrap his arms around his neck and bury his face in the crook of his big brother’s neck instead of his chest.

“I don’t understand… I thought being different was a good thing… That’s what Federico always says.” He could hear Cambino clearly now, he had pulled away to talk as Dante started walking.

“Being different is good, yes. Federico says so. I say so. Everyone following our lord will say the same thing. Differences are part of what makes us human. If we were all exactly the same, life would be boring. The children here are misguided. They don’t know these things yet.Sometimes when they grow older they will realize that being yourself is better than following a crowd. But unfortunately a lot of adults also do not know.”  
He hadn’t intended it to sound like a lecture. But either way it seemed to have calmed Cambino down. He hadn’t realized just how long they had been inside until he walked back outside. The entire schoolyard was emptied out, only Aspen had remained with her little sister. Olivia was playing on the swing while Aspen had been looking at the doors, definitely worried about them staying away for so long.

Her face fell into one of relief when she saw them walk out and Dante walked over to her, glad to see her. He was still holding Cambino in his arms and his breathing had slowed down even more, the grip around his neck had loosened so he suspected his little brother had fallen asleep.

“What happened?” Aspen asked worriedly when she looked at Cambino in his arms, the small bloodstains on his shirt definitely did not help ease her worries.  
“He was getting beat up by some kids from his class.” This time he couldn't stop the growl from escaping. He was so angry that anyone would physically hurt his little brother.

“I’m going to get him home…” He said as he gently repositioned Cambino in his arms, he was slipping just a little. He had definitely fallen asleep.

“That’s a good idea, I’m going as well…” She said and then turned around to call at that they would be going soon. Then she reached up on her toes, smiling gently as she planted a kiss on his cheek before she left the schoolyard with Olivia in tow.  
“Text me when you get him home…”

Dante watched her leave, smiling softly. Cambino shifted and whined softly in his arms. He was in pain. He quickly turned to leave the schoolyard on the other side. Cambino would need medical attention, maybe they could relieve the pain for a bit. For now he was still asleep, calm and content. That’s what mattered for now.

“Mi proteggerai per sempre?” The question was soft, he almost hadn’t heard it. Especially since he thought that Cambino was asleep and didn't expect he would ask a question.  
He didn't know if he could answer that question correctly, he could never be sure if something would happen to one of them. But he did know that he would never stop protecting him as long as he lived. And that was enough for now.

“Certo, Fratellino… Per sempre…”

Art by the amazing @gooreyguts on Tumblr, I'm eternally grateful. 


	3. 3. Ghoul (26 and 15)

The clergy had been peaceful as of late. Dante didn't want to pride himself for that, but since pride is considered a sin he could at least pat himself on the back for the significant change he had noticed since he had taken over as Papa.  
Of course there had been a bit of a rocky start, people wanted his brother back. He understood why; Federico was kind, compassionate and was great at giving advice. He was also incredibly passionate about spreading the words of their lord.

At first he hadn’t wanted to take on the title yet, he wanted to wait a couple more years. Maybe he could have just watched his elder brother for a little while longer. But it wasn't to be, his brother had slowly been declining in health, having more off days than active days. On his active days he would work like nothing at all was wrong. On his sick days he wouldn’t be seen at all.  
Doctors said his immune system was weak, if he got sick, he would immediately be incredibly sick. His body had no defense at all, every little bacteria or virus could just floor him for days. It wasn't life threatening as long as he wouldn’t get any serious illness. 

Approximately three days out of every two weeks he would be healthier but he was still getting worse. Federico hadn’t wanted to give up his title but he understood it wasn't good for the church to never be present during important events. 

Dante had to become the new papa. There had luckily not been any actual protests like he had feared, there was just some mild complaining from a select group of siblings that had been complaining about him ever since it was announced that he would follow in his brother’s footsteps all those years ago. Luckily it had died out within a couple of weeks when everyone had gotten used to the idea. He knew some people would still knock on his older brother’s door for advice but that didn't bother him in the slightest. Most of the siblings had started to come to him instead.

He was happy to give them his advice and as far as he knew, the siblings he advised were content as well. During his rituals and sermons he had noticed they were watching and listening attentively. The church had not collapsed once during his time as papa either, so he could count that as a win as well. He had finally gotten a bit more confident in the position he was in.

For the last couple of years Aspen had been around as well, initiated into the clergy immediately when she graduated from college four years ago. After her dedication ritual she started working as an investigator. That job entails going through other religions and old scriptures to find out about their versions of demons and devils. If there’s enough semblance from the demons they feared to one of the deities or daemons they worship, they can most safely say that the other facts that are given in the scriptures are most likely true as well. Therefore finding out more about their infernal master and his underlings. She had also started studying magick, something she seemed to have a natural talent for.

Today was busy, there would be a ritual this night and he had prepared for it with some siblings for the past couple of days. The previous days they had been busy with trying to find flaws in the ritual planning. This was an extremely important ritual after all. Nothing was allowed to go wrong as it could have disastrous consequences.  
His day had started with a very early meeting with Imperator, at six in the morning he was expected at her doorstep. He never knew why the woman wanted to have meetings so very early but he assumed she did it just to torture everyone in the church. He knew there would be no use in arguing with her about that so he did not.  
The meeting ended up taking five hours.

Five hours of Imperator talking to him about things he had already forgotten five minutes after walking out. Five hours he could have spent in bed or doing the paperwork he was behind on. At eleven in the morning he knew Aspen wouldn't be in bed anymore so there was no use for him to get back to their shared chambers, he wasn't tired anyway.  
Instead he got to the kitchens to get some coffee and breakfast he missed until he was to meet up with the siblings to go over the ritual one last time.

Late in the afternoon he walked out of the conference room, one sibling had found a miniscule fault in their ritual planning, if they hadn’t discovered it, the moonlight wouldn’t have shone into the bowl correctly and it would have fucked up the entire ritual. They had worked for two hours to resolve it. Finally the ritual would be perfect. 

It would be his fourth ritual and he had lost all nerves from when he just started out. He briefly thought back to his first ritual, he had been so afraid to fuck something up and make people even more adament on wanting Federico back. Looking back on it there was nothing to worry about, granted he did something wrong but that hadn’t bothered anyone. His brother had told him that he did amazing. He had been clear and imposing in his speech and the things he did were direct and visible for everyone to see. As a good ritual is to be. 

He rounded a corner and immediately his thought process was interrupted when he saw Cambino talking to a ghoul. All warning signs went off in his head at seeing the ghoul and he rushed over. He did not run, that would only upset the ghoul.  
From this far away he could already see how blown the ghoul’s pupils were. Its claws way more extended than a resting ghoul’s claws would be. Tail swishing wildly. Cambino seemed to not notice any of this. Wasn’t this a thing taught about ghouls? Was Cambino that oblivious to any of the signs? This ghoul was definitely feral.

There was no time to question how the ghoul got out of the dungeons. Right now he had to make sure Cambino would be out of harm’s way. When he got to the pair, he immediately pushed his little brother out of the way so he could stand in between them, in front of Cambino protectively. 

“Dante? What are you doing?” Dante could hear the confused tone in his voice. He didn't reply, fully focused on the ghoul so he knew when it was about to attack.

“How did you get out, ghoul.” He stood even taller to make himself look more intimidating. The ghoul’s eyes narrowed as it growled deeply in response.  
“Are you going back to your cell on your own?” He asked. Dante already knew what the answer was going to be. The ghoul was most definitely not going to willingly go back to its dungeon. The purpose of the question was that Cambino would understand what was going on with this ghoul. Judging by the way he gasped softly and then grabbed onto his shoulder he finally understood.

He wanted to reach back so he could grab onto Cambino’s arm and squeeze softly so Cambino would calm down a little, but he couldn’t. If he didn't concentrate on everything the ghoul was doing, it could attack without him being prepared. The ghoul was still growling angrily. It’s sharp tail swishing even faster, dangerously cutting through the air. Dante hoped the ghoul wouldn’t use its tail to attack, that would be hard to dodge.

Dante was getting just a bit annoyed by how the ghoul was acting. He knew the ghoul couldn't help that it was acting this way, but the way the ghoul did neither back down or attack made him nervous, and therefore annoyed. Cambino was still scared, every time the ghoul swished its tail in their direction as a warning, he would grab onto his brother’s shoulder tighter.

He wanted the ghoul gone, back to its cell with the other feral ghouls but he couldn't just grab it, that would leave him very vulnerable if the ghoul were to attack. He had to wait for the right moment to strike.

That moment came soon, Dante could see its pupils dilate even more, then not even a second after, it raised it’s claw to strike but before it could attack, Dante tightly grabbed its lower arm while it was coming down. Then, as if he were dancing, he used the grip to twirl the confused ghoul around so it’s back was turned to him. He grabbed the ghoul by the neck and pressed the arm against its back tightly. Too late he realized its other arm could still be used. He winced softly as his hand was clawed by the ghoul. He grabbed the other arm and locked it to its back as well.

It was kicking and growling loudly, trying to get out of the tight grip. During it all, Cambino had let go of him and now carefully walked to his side to look up at the ghoul he was so close to being attacked by and he sighed softly. 

“Thanks, frate…” He said softly and Dante grimaced, his left hand burned and stung painfully where he was scratched. 

“Dante, are you okay?”  
“I’ll be fine. When I’ve dropped the ghoul off at the dungeons I’ll go by the infirmary.” He didn't want Cambino to worry, but he already knew that ghoul inflicted wounds were incredibly hard to heal. And then if it would heal it would leave a nasty scar.

Cambino didn't seem too worried anymore as he faced the ghoul head on, he grinned as he faced him, sticking out his tongue and blowing a raspberry.  
The ghoul jumped and growled loudly, squirming in the tight grip so he could grab Cambino,. Dante could barely hold him back.  
Cambino yelped loudly and jumped back, he hadn’t anticipated the ghoul to lash out so suddenly, then quickly straightened himself and smoothed down his hair. 

“Ha! You can’t get me! Mio Fratellone is too strong for you!”

Dante rolled his eyes and started pushing the unwilling ghoul into the direction of the dungeons.  
“Moron.”


	4. 4. Truck (29 and 18)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one has some gore in it!

A lot has been going on with the clergy lately, problem after problem stacking up without an end in sight. Dante had been extremely busy fixing them all. Stressed out of his mind. There had been so much going on at once that he wouldn't even be able to list it all. There were a couple major events though, and somehow those major events tied all of the problems together.

It all started when a group of Christians came knocking on the door. They started with just praying to their god to please forgive his clergy. Trying to convince the siblings how their god is forgiving and would forgive them for their evil ways if they just converted to Christianity. 

It all seemed like a peaceful protest but when the clergy refused to cooperate they started to get violent. Trying to throw rocks through the windows and trying to get through the door. Yelling about how they would be going to hell. Which is in hindsight quite funny really. Them being so desperate to prevent something which his satanic siblings were greeting with open arms. 

At the time though, it wasn't laughable at all. People were trying to break into the clergy and they seemed ready to put up a fight. Dante didn't want to fight anyone, some of the siblings and almost all the ghouls had expressed that they would want to go out there and physically sent them away. He had shut the idea down the second they had come up with it.  
He explained that it was an incredibly bad idea, that if they went out to fight, the christians would only get confirmation on their insane misconception that satanists are inherently violent. Which would in turn only make them more adamant on trying to convince them to submit to their god.

The christians had been surprisingly persistent. Staying there for five full days without any breaks. It was getting annoying by then. He had asked them politely if they would please leave but they hadn’t listened, only protesting and yelling prayers louder when they saw him look out the window.  
He had sighed, grabbed the phone and called the police. This was stalking, after all. And since some windows had actually been broken it could also be seen as destruction of public property. 

He had watched delighted from his window, glass of wine in hand, when the police arrived and started rounding up the christians. Some of them tried to resist, saying it was god’s will that they were there. But it was easily resolved when they were just grabbed and pushed into the police cars.

Only a day after, things went wrong again, there had been a feral ghoul outbreak. But this time it wasn't just one. It was an entire cell. Thirty feral ghouls, roaming the halls and destroying everything they came across. All the siblings of sin were locked into their rooms because it was just too dangerous for them to be out and about in the halls. Only the most powerful witches and the highest standing members of the clergy were allowed out to help.

It took an entire week with little sleep for them to find all the ghouls to be put back into their cell. The last four ghouls had been hiding and it had taken two days just to find them hiding in the storage room with all the food. After a thorough sweep of the church and a count of the ghouls in the cell, it was concluded that all the ghouls were back where they belonged and everyone could finally leave their rooms. Of course, a small party was thrown in celebration.

A third big thing that had happened wasn't necessarily a bad thing. There had been a wave of marriages. The month of June, pride month. Was a very popular month to get married for the queer couples of the church. And even if it was exhausting to officiate every wedding he was incredibly glad to do it. There weren’t that many weddings of course, but as papa he had a hand in helping with planning the wedding as well. Making sure everything would be perfect. It was a kind of bonding ritual after all. 

During those three things Cambino had been excluded from any action. He was locked in his room during the feral ghouls. Forbidden to even come close to the doors or windows when the Christians were protesting there and during the marriage planning he had been ignored because Dante had just so much to do. 

Now that everything had calmed down, he had decided to take Cambino out for ice cream. It was nice, relaxing to just hear his little brother rambling on and on about the things he was up to while at the same time enjoying three scoops of chocolate ice cream. He told him about how his training for becoming a cardinal was going and about the books he had been reading but most importantly, how he saw a very cute stray kitten on the streets he was planning to tame and take home.

It was a nice day, sunny and warm. Perfect day for taking a walk and eating ice cream, the ice cream salon was only a five minute walk away so they had decided to walk. 

On their way back, Cambino was still rambling about stuff while at the same time looking for the kitten he had seen in the area they were walking right now.  
Cambino was so busy with trying to look for the kitten that he had walked into the street without looking properly. When he saw the big yellow truck coming his way he didn't get off the street, instead he completely froze up. Just staring as his impending doom got closer and closer.  
Dante’s mind worked at lightning speed, Cambino was only twenty, the demonic part inside of him wasn't nearly close to being fully developed yet. There was no way he would be able to survive this truck hitting him at the speed it was going. 

His decision was made in less than a second. He ran into the street and pushed his little brother out of the way, relieved when he saw he had pushed him hard enough so he was out of the way could. Then the pain hit.

The impact was quick and over as fast as it came. It swept him off his feet and sent him flying for almost twenty feet before landing. A sharp pain in his left arm where the truck had hit him, he recalled a sickening crack as he was hit so he knew his arm had broken on impact. Slowly his ribs started to hurt terribly as well. Those were either bruised or broken as well.

When he landed it wasn't over yet, the momentum making him slide over the asphalt on his exposed right arm. He could just feel the skin rip open and he wished he could remember how to roll in that moment. 

Only seconds later he heard footsteps running towards him, Cambino kneeled down next to him and Dante had the sense to open his eyes so he could show his panicking brother that he was still alive. He tried to breathe calmly to not hurt his ribs too much, but the pain only made him want to gasp more. He kept his left arm very still, he didn't want it to hurt more than it already did. The other arm that had been ripped open by the asphalt was stinging harshly.

“Dante?” His little brother asked hesitantly, he could hear the quivering in his voice. He groaned low in his chest when he felt his ribs start hurting even more. The pain made him feel queasy and Cambino made it so much worse when he started poking at him, trying to find out where he was hurt.

“Stop that.” He bit out and Cambino immediately pulled his hands away. Spooked by his sudden outburst. That outburst only made everything hurt more and he groaned softly and closed his eyes and tried to relax. Any miniscule movement made everything hurt.

“I’ll be fine, fratellino… just please do not touch me…” He heard the truck door open and then close. Quick footsteps starting to make their way over to them. From what he was saying it sounded like he was calling 911 and now he was coming to assess the damage to tell the helpers what was going on in more detail.

“Cambino… I cannot go to a human hospital… You have to convince him to hang up. Convince him that I’ll be fine.” He said, it was straining to talk but this was important. If he went to a human hospital, he couldn't imagine what the outcome would be.

“Shouldn’t I call the clergy first? Then they’ll be here earlier so you won’t have to wait for help longer…” Cambino asked softly, his voice was still trembling at seeing his brother like this and Dante didn't like it. It made him feel weaker than he already felt.

“No. Then the ambulance will get here before we can get away. They won’t let me go then.” He replied calmly. He opened his eyes so he could look at Cambino and there were tears streaming down his little brother’s cheeks. He hated that, it made him feel even worse, so he closed his eyes again. 

He heard Cambino get up and walk away from him, towards the man. He hoped Cambino would succeed, he really couldn't end up in a human hospital. He had faith that his little brother would somehow succeed, he could always convince people of doing his bidding. 

His eyes were closed and Cambino must have lead the man far away because he couldn't hear either of them, maybe it was for the better, he would only get more stressed if he had to listen to that. For now he just kept his eyes closed. His body wanted him to fall asleep and he tried his best to not sleep since he knew how dangerous that could be.

So he stayed awake, he didn't know how long it took, the pain making every second drag on as if it were hours. He was glad that this part of the road was almost unused, no passersby to see him and walk over to see if he was alright. It would only cause more problems.

He heard footsteps walking over and he opened his eyes again to look at Cambino. He was still looking a bit shaken up and panicked but otherwise content.

Dante slowly started sitting up, pushing himself up on his elbows, he had to bite his lip and squeeze his eyes shut to not scream in pain. He was determined though, at least wanting to sit up because laying in the middle of the road was getting just a little bit painful. The asphalt was hard and hurting his head and back, but when he felt the indescribable pain cut through his entire body he immediately wanted to just lay back down. The asphalt felt like a cloud compared to this.

He had to be strong though, so he fully sat up. Gritting his teeth to bite back the pain. He tried to ignore Cambino looking at him worriedly. His little brother frowned and went to grab his shoulder to get him to sit back down, but remembered when last time he touched him, he had actually really hurt him. So he pulled his hand away quickly.

“Dante… Are you sure you want to walk? I can call Federico!” He asked, he sounded extremely concerned.

“Help me up, Cambino. It’s only a five minute walk. I can handle this.” He told him, trying his best to sound confident.  
It took a long time, but they had finally gotten a position that was the least painful for Dante to walk in. It still hurt. There would be no way to walk without it bringing the pain that almost moved him to tears with every step. He had stopped trying to hold it back because that only took more effort which in turn made him hurt more. 

He was leaning almost completely on Cambino, he had his arm slung over his little brother’s shoulder and Cambino had an arm around him to keep him upright. It was good that Cambino was as strong as he was. If he hadn’t been able to basically carry him he didn't know what he would have done.

After ten long minutes they had walked the distance of what they would have done in only one minute, they had barely gotten through a third street and Dante knew they weren't going to be able to get home like this. During the walking his left leg was starting to hurt too, the had apparently caused it to get hurt as well, he just didn't feel it at first because he hadn’t been walking. 

Cambino must have noticed it too, he stopped and slowly lowered his brother so he was sitting on the sidewalk. Even if the pain was so severe he had just wanted to keep going. Just a little bit longer. His plan was to just keep telling himself it was just a little bit more until they would get home. 

He was so glad Cambino noticed that he could barely go on anymore, he himself wouldn’t have asked to stop. He had to wrestle with everything he had to not just lay down on the sidewalk. Instead he scooted himself over to the brick wall that was close to them and sat down against it with a relieved groan. 

“I’m calling Federico…” Cambino told him. Just sitting down still hurt him but it was a lot less painful than having to walk. He closed his eyes and sighed heavily as he listened to Cambino starting the call. He hoped Federico would pick up. They were lucky he hadn't been sick today. 

Of course they could have called Imperator or their father but Imperator would be a bitch the entire ride back to the church. If they called Nihil they would be promised he would send someone, then he would forget entirely and they’d sit here for hours, waiting for help that wasn't coming. Aspen doesn’t have a driver’s license. 

“Federico? Hi, yeah it’s Cambino!” If Dante would have concentrated he would have been able to hear his older brother talking on the other side of the line. He didn't have the energy to focus. He just wanted to sleep.

“Yes. Can you please come pick us up? Dante got hit by a truck.” He didn't need to focus to be able to hear the exclamation on the other side of the line. It was weird but he felt flattered that his older brother would be so concerned about him. 

“He’s going to be okay! We tried to walk but it hurt him too much!” Cambino was quick to reassure their older brother. He turned the phone away from his ear just a little bit so he could tell Dante that Federico was on his way. That was quick, he must be running. 

“I don’t know exactly where he is hurt, I’ll give him the phone.” Before he could prepare himself the phone was held out to him. He couldn't keep his brother waiting so he held out his hand quickly. That was a bad idea. Pain shot through his shoulder and he winced but took the phone anyway. Bringing it up to his ear hurt even more. 

“Hello…” He sounded so weak.

“Dante, thank Satan. What happened?” He questioned immediately. He sounded calmer than before. He could hear the car in the background and felt a surge of relief sweep through him. Federico was on his way. He was coming to get him.

The unfortunate thing was that the ice cream shop usually was a five minute walk. That was because with walking there were all sorts of shortcuts and small paths they could take. Taking the car would be way different. The bigger roads for the car winded all around the town and you have to drive slow to watch out for people crossing. Everyone followed that rule to ensure safety for everyone. Except apparently the guy that hit him with a truck. 

“I got hit by a truck. Cambino stood still in the middle of the road and I pushed him out of the way and got hit instead.” As he looked up at Cambino he could see him look away and scratch at his arm. He felt guilty. He knew that pose from the time Cambino had accidentally broken something that wasn't his. 

“Alright, where are you hurt?” Federico  
“I got hit on my left side and it fucked up my shoulder and my entire left arm and leg. My hip hurts a lot too. I am pretty sure that some of my ribs are broken. I landed on my right shoulder and it hurts but I don’t believe something is actually wrong with it. On my right arm is also a very big wound but it’s not bleeding a lot. It just really stings.” He didn’t get a reply immediately and holding the phone up to his ear was really starting to hurt his shoulder more than it already was. 

“I’ll be there in ten minutes. Just hold on a bit longer, I’ll be there soon.” Federico said and Dante nodded, he felt like he was about to cry so he closed his eyes. He felt like he was going to pass out from the pain if Federico didn't get here soon.

“He just nodded.” Cambino said through the phone as he sat down next to Dante and looked at him worriedly. He understood why. He probably wasn't looking too great but sitting completely still like this made things hurt less. He was tired and he wanted to just sleep until the pain was gone. 

Cambino took his phone back from him and continued the conversation for a bit. He couldn't even concentrate on what Cambino was saying. But when he hung up the phone he just had to say something. 

“You did nothing wrong, you know…” He whispered, he didn't open his eyes but he did shift to change position. Apparently his back was also not in great condition.  
He had seen Cambino glance at him warily every once in a while. He needed to make sure that his little brother knew nothing of this was his fault. 

“I did… It’s my fault you’re hurt.” He said and Dante finally opened his eyes so he could look at his little brother. He looked like he was about to cry. He felt the need to wrap him in his arms like when he was still young. But he couldn't bring himself to move. 

“It’s not your fault, you froze up. Freezing up happens to everyone.” He told him gently. Sitting up straighter so he could talk to his brother more clearly. Even if it was hurting him so much, caring for his brother was priority right now. It always was. 

He could see Cambino was still beating himself up about it. He needed to change tactics.

“It even happened to me once or twice.” Cambino looked up at that statement, visibly surprised.

“You?” He asked softly.

“Yes. Me. See? It's not so bad. Like I said, it happens to everyone.” Cambino wasn't focused on what he was saying anymore though.

“What happened when you froze up?” He asked softly, his eyes were wide. Ready for a story. Suddenly it reminded him of when Cambino was still so young and he’d beg for a bedtime story before he would go to sleep.

“That doesn’t matter right now. I’ll tell you one day.” Dante said softly even if he knew cambino needed a distraction right now, and if he was being honest. So did he. He just really couldn't talk a lot anymore. Talking hurt. He needed to get Cambino to do the talking.

“How did you manage to get that guy to stop calling the ambulance?”  
Immediately Cambino went red and looked away nervously. Cambino was rarely nervous, always confident in his actions. Immediately Dante knew he was in for a good story.

“Well… I…” He started, then turned to look him in the eyes with a frown.  
“Don’t tell Federico?” He asked softly and Dante raised an eyebrow, if he didn’t want Federico to know about it, it would be even worse than he thought. Which only made him want to hear about it more.

“I won’t. But if you wait much longer he will actually be here and you’ll have to tell him as well.”

“I panicked because he wouldn’t listen and I didn't think. I just snatched the phone and threw it on the ground and then stomped on it. I ran away before he could get to me.”

Dante couldn’t help it, a laugh tore from his throat and even if his ribs hurt so much he couldn’t stop. He could just imagine the baffled look on the man’s face. He would be already annoyed that this kid was trying to stop him from making the call, and then suddenly the kid just took his phone and threw it on the ground. It was hilarious. 

He didn’t know why he was laughing so hard, maybe it was because he was so tired and everything hurt and he was just delirious. The expression on Cambino’s face when he told him had been hilarious too. He looked so guilty, as if he had committed a horrible crime. The indignant look he gave him when he started laughing definitely didn't help against his laughter.

When he eventually calmed down it was because his ribs were hurting too much. He wrapped an arm around his little brother and pulled him close to wait until Federico’s Lincoln Continental would come around the corner. It wouldn’t be any longer now.


	5. 5. Papa (33 and 22)

He had a good run. He knew he had. Lots of siblings had come up to him lately to tell him what they had learned about themselves and what they liked about what he had done with his time as papa.   
Others had come for some last advice and he had reassured them all that he would still be available to talk and give advice when Cambino had taken over.  
The ceremony would take place tonight, exactly five hours after the sun had gone down. His little brother would take over. Dante knew he was ready and felt a weird sense of pride bubbling up in his chest. He had come so far.

Dante was far from jealous that he would be replaced. He had known from the start that he wasn’t meant to reign his entire life. He was used to it by now. In the first eleven years of his life, Federico had always been more important than him. After that he had been cast aside in favor of Cambino, the newest plaything of the clergy. A golden boy. Always implied to replace Dante if it would come to it.  
Cambino would be getting ready for tonight by now, maybe he had applied his paint already, nobody had seen what he had designed for it yet, only their father. And if their father had said the pattern was alright, it must be good. He never settled for anything less than perfect.

He wanted to see, needed to see what it looked like. He didn’t want to see it at the same time as everyone else. He was sure Cambino wouldn’t mind him stopping by. Of course that was not the only reason he wanted to see him, he also wanted to be there if it turned out Cambino was nervous, he knew for sure Cambino was nervous. He figured he’d have big brother privileges that would allow him to go there. 

He knocked politely as he stood in front of the door. He didn’t want to walk in on cambino doing something he didn’t want to see. Again. He didn’t think he’d be doing anything like that right now but with Cambino you never knew. So he knocked.

“Come in!” He heard Cambino call from inside, his voice sounded upbeat but from experience Dante knew how good he was at masking if he was feeling bad. 

When he opened the door Cambino was looking in the mirror on top of the vanity. Prodding at the paint on his face. He could see just how different the paint was compared it to his own. 

Cambino looked up and smiled brightly when he saw his brother’s reflection in the mirror, but it wasn’t his usual happy grin. He was definitely hiding something.

“Fratello! What a nice surprise!” He said theatrically as he turned around, showing off the paint. It was nice paint, a soft pattern, it fit him perfectly. 

“Come on, you can tell me. It’s crooked isn’t it?” Cambino said stepping a bit closer so his brother could see it better. It was indeed just a bit askew, nothing that couldn’t be fixed though.

“It is.” Dante said but walked past him, he’d help him fix it later, right now he sighed and walked over to his little brother’s bed and sat down. Patting the spot next to him. Cambino’s painted lips did a lot to amplify the way he was smiling. It made it way easier to see that he was in fact, very nervous. Cambino frowned slightly and sat down next to him on the bed.

“You’re nervous.” It wasn’t a question. 

“Well of course I am, what else am I supposed to be!” Cambino asked and turned away. 

“No need to get defensive, Cambino. There’s no shame in being nervous.” He placed a hand on his little brother’s now shaking shoulder, prompting him to turn back so he could face him. 

When he did turn back, tears were streaming down his cheeks, smudging the makeup around his eyes and making the black paint drip down over his white cheeks. Again, nothing they couldn’t fix but this just looked miserable.

“Of course there’s shame in it! I don’t know what to do. I’m supposed to be a Papa and I have no clue what it all entails. I wish… I wish I was more like you… strong… you always know what to do… You’re papa Emeritus the second, I’m... I’m just Cambino...” He whispered and looked away again. 

“Cambino…” he didn’t know what to say, he didn’t know his little brother actually looked up to him like that. He wasn’t strong, far from it. He rarely showed emotion because he was scared people wouldn’t take him seriously otherwise. The other thing wasn’t true either. He rarely knew what to do in most situations, he mostly made it up as he went along and hoped for the best.

“You don’t want to be like me. I promise.” He sighed and pulled Cambino by his shoulder so he would look at him again. 

“What are you nervous about, rituals? Sermons?” 

“I’m scared of everything, I’m scared that I’m not going to be a good papa.” He whispered as he looked up. His painted cheeks even more smudged than before. 

“I don’t know how to do anything, I have no idea how I can keep the attention on me when I’m going to do a sermon, I don’t know what advice to give when someone would need any. I have absolutely no clue how to be papa, but I’m just thrown in the deep end without knowing anything.” It was like a dam broke as he started sobbing, everything he had held back since he heard he’d be the new papa came out at once. He hadn’t had much time to prepare, he had never been told that his brother would step down to give him place. He had always just gone with the flow, relaxed living as a cardinal. 

Immediately Dante pulled him close and his little brother buried his face in his chest, his clothes were going to be ruined from the already smeared paint but he didn't care about that now. Getting his brother to stop panicking was way more important than some clothes.

He ran his hands through his brother’s hair as he thought about what he could say to him to calm him down. His mind milling around desperately for something to fix this problem, all would make Cambino more stressed until he remembered a conversation from years ago. 

“Do you remember what I told you, long ago?” He whispered and nudged Cambino to sit up on his own, he was still sniffling but Dante could see he was listening. 

“When?” 

“Years ago, when I got hit by a truck.” It seemed so long ago now. It was four years ago, but it felt so much longer. As if a mist had pulled up around the event. Maybe it was because he was getting old, or because he had been in so much pain that day his brain was trying to erase the memory.

“The conversation about freezing up?” Cambino asked very softly. 

“Exactly. Now back then, I didn't tell you about the time I froze up. I think now is the time I tell you…” Cambino’s eyes widened. He had never expected that he was going to hear that story. 

“My very first sermon, you weren’t there because dad told you to do some library work. I was-”

“I wanted to be there…” Cambino interrupted him. 

“I know. Don’t interrupt me again or you won’t get to hear the story.” Immediately Cambino stopped talking and sat up straighter so he could hear better. 

“I was doing my very first sermon, everything seemed to be going great. I had captivated the audience to listen to me, I felt the spirit of our lord flow through me. But then suddenly I couldn't continue. I fell silent, couldn't say anything. Couldn't remember anything of what I had ever learned and couldn't move at all. The crowd started to get unruly the longer I stayed silent which only served to make me more nervous. It was horrible. Then suddenly I was alright again. I felt more relaxed and could have just continued the sermon as if nothing had happened but I didn’t.”

He took a bit to look at Cambino and saw him listening intently. his head slightly tilted as if he was a dog trying to pay attention to what the human was saying. 

“I stepped down from the stage and sat down on the stairs. Looking over everyone for a second. More at eye level with everyone. I started to talk, I didn't know what my next sentence would be half the time but I just kept talking. I explained what had happened, how I didn't know anything anymore, when I felt that everyone understood. I continued the sermon, the people seemed even more invested in what I had to say to them. Because I had been sincere with them.” 

“I guess what I’m trying to say is… Just be yourself, sincere, kind, charismatic, a bit annoying sometimes. People will gravitate towards you more naturally if you’re open to it. They will know you are being yourself and they’ll like that. They will feel more at ease. Especially with a soothing personality like yours. If you are yourself you are also more likely to be able to find solutions to problems you have to solve. You’re amazing at seeing all the angles of every problem and you’re amazing at finding solutions that way.” He continued listing the things Cambino was good at and how that could help him in being papa. His little brother was nodding along with every word and piece of advice he had to offer. He seemed way calmer now, knowing his brother had also fucked up multiple times but with the knowledge he was so well respected now. 

“Thanks, Dante…” He sighed, physically sagging in relief. 

“Don’t tell father about this advice. He thinks being yourself is a waste of time.” He said with a smirk and Cambino laughed out loud. They both knew their father wasn't the greatest person. 

“Come… Lets get your makeup back in order, you have a big night ahead of you.” He said as he stood up from the bed and walked back towards the vanity. Cambino was right behind him and Dante grabbed a baby wipe. Trying to fix it from how smeared it was was a hopeless task. They’d have to start all over again. 

He gently took Cambino’s chin in his hand to keep him steady as he started applying the makeup. 

“Will you be there for me? If I need your help with something?” 

“Of course, Fratellino…”


	6. +1 Poison (46 and 35)

“+4, bitch!” Cambino shrieked triumphantly, making Federico grumble as he took the cards, he had almost won, already having called Uno his previous turn.

An almost empty wine bottle stood in the middle of the table and another empty bottle was put on the ground so it couldn’t be mistaken for the fuller one. They had another bottle stashed somewhere under the table so they could keep drinking for a while. 

Dante didn't drink the wine with them, he had a bottle of absinthe all to himself. He drank so much in his day to day life that it had gotten almost impossible for him to get drunk just off a bit of wine. Aspen had tried to get him to stop drinking so much but hadn’t succeeded, at least he didn’t pass out in the middle of the day anymore.

Cambino had been drinking a lot more too lately, after being pulled off the stage during his last show, he just wasn’t really the same anymore. He had been forced to retire without much explanation. Neither of his brothers knew what had gotten into Imperator to disrespect them so blatantly without even being given a reason. 

Cambino put a green eight on the table only to take it back when he realized the color wasn't green. Maybe his little brother was more drunk than he first thought. 

It took him a bit to realize that the door had opened, sister Imperator’s harsh silhouette blocking out most of the light that would have come in. Their father was standing right behind her. He quickly stood up along with his brothers.

“-you’re being reinstated… you’re going back on the road.” He could feel the restless energy emanating from his brothers, they would be happy to be able to perform again. He was too, obviously. But something was off. Something about the way she said it didn’t sit right at all. 

“You’re going back in full regalia, you're going back in the spotlight… forever.” She said with a smile. Something really was off. 

“See you later boys!” The door closed. They sat back down, Cambino put down a card, blissfully unaware of something being off about what she had said to them. He was about to turn to his older brother if he had noticed anything when a shadow moved in behind Cambino.

He didn’t have a chance to react, the syringe was already stuck in his little brother’s neck and he fell down on the table. He was still breathing but he didn’t move anymore. He heard Federico get up from his chair to check on what had happened to Cambino but then when he looked over he crashed to the floor as well. 

He stood up, chair falling back as he looked at his brothers. One on the floor and one with his head on the table. Both of them were still breathing but he had no idea how long that would last. 

He heard movement behind him and twirled around the block the ghoul from attacking him, but he was too late, he felt the needle puncture his skin and the liquid was too hot as it entered his bloodstream. Immediately he fell back, his muscles just giving out, he crashed with his back against the table painfully and then slid onto the floor. He wanted to rub his back, soothe the pain that was there but he really couldn’t get anything to move anymore.

He could still breathe, his heart was still pumping blood, he could still see. The ghoul was already gone. Not that it would matter if it was still here, he wouldn’t be able to do anything.

Was this really going to be the end? He listened to Cambino’s quick breathing, he sounded panicked. He was most likely trying to move anything, but just like Dante he couldn’t lift a finger.

He should have done more, he knew something was bound to happen after Cambino was dragged off the stage, he just didn’t realize it would be so bad. He should have known. Should have kept his eyes and ears more open to things happening around the church instead of drinking his worries away. It was his fault that they were in this mess. They were going to die here, on the floor, undignified. He wondered if they would be missed for a long time. If the clergy would ask how they died. Imperator most likely wouldn’t speak the truth. She would make up some sob story which would keep the siblings happy for the time being. 

What would Aspen think, would she be told what happened or would she have to find out for herself. Would she cry? She isn’t really the type to cry. Maybe she would. He hoped she wouldn’t be sad for too long, he wasn’t really worth being sad about anyway. 

If he could still talk he would, he would try to calm Cambino down a little bit. But he couldn’t talk, couldn’t move, there was no way to get to his little brother and comfort him in any way. He hoped Cambino knew that he tried. The only thing he had wanted was to protect his little brother. He hadn’t succeeded. He should have done more. If he had just tried to find out just why Cambino was pulled off the stage maybe he could have found out what they were planning. But now it was too late. He didn't blame his brother if he was mad at him.  
Dante couldn’t hear Federico breathing anymore, he wondered if he was gone already. His immune system so weak that just a little bit of the amount of poison that was injected into him would have been lethal. Surprisingly he didn’t feel as sad about his older brother, he knew that it wouldn’t have hurt him. He wouldn’t have to struggle with the effects like they would. He knew their brother would be waiting for them in hell, ready to take them in his arms and comfort them when necessary. He didn't deserve comfort. This was his fault. If Imperator had only killed him it would have been better. Cambino would get over it and be able to live a full life. Maybe he’d fall in love or just continue sleeping with everyone. As long as he was happy. 

He wanted to go over to Cambino to apologize for not being able to prevent this. If he had given Cambino more advice, guided him more, helped him even when it wasn’t necessary. If he had been better he would have been able to make Cambino a better papa. He wouldn’t have been pulled off stage then. He wouldn’t have been murdered in cold blood right now. 

He thought about what kind of poison it could be. whatever it was, it worked fast, paralyzing him immediately after it was administered. He wondered what the next step would be, maybe the lungs would slowly get paralyzed as well. Or maybe the heart was next, or the brain. Something would be paralyzed which would eventually lead to their death. 

He wanted to cry, scream curse his father out for doing something like this, allowing something like this to happen. Killing his own children was low, even for him. 

He was ripped out of his thoughts when he heard Cambino start to breathe heavier, it’s what he suspected, the lungs started to give out. Soon he would start feeling it too. The lungs would slowly start to get paralyzed and get harder and harder to get oxygen into until they fully stopped.

He couldn’t do anything but listen as Cambino struggled for breath more and more. Trying his best to still get air in the lungs that wouldn’t work with him anymore. He thought back to all the times he was able to protect his little brother. And it made this even worse. He had promised Cambino he would always be there to protect him. He wondered if he remembered. He hoped he didn’t, that would hurt even more. He had broken his promise, he hadn’t been able to protect him.

He started feeling it too, his lungs slowly started to get harder to breathe with, as if a rock was resting on his chest. It was harder to move his chest. It would get worse and worse until his chest wouldn’t want to move anymore and then it was over. He wouldn’t be able to get any oxygen in anymore. 

His poison had been administered later than Cambino’s so he would be able to hear his little brother struggle until death before he died himself. He didn't know if he could handle hearing his little brother stop breathing like that. Knowing he would die like that. He knew that with a lack of oxygen it would start to hurt.  
He wondered why they used poison and didn't just kill them with a bullet. It would have been faster and less of a struggle for them.  
He knew why. It would make a mess, a bloody mess all over the floor that would have to be cleaned before the siblings could be informed of what would have happened. The gunshots would also arouse a lot of suspicion and would make the siblings come running to see what had happened. Their comfort was the least of Imperator’s worries. She needed it to be silent and clean. 

He wasn’t angry, not anymore, he didn’t want to be angry in his last minutes. Even if his anger would be completely justified. It was most likely because of that new cardinal after all. Ever since that cardinal arrived at their church, Imperator had been singing his praises. It was another reason for him to feel bad, it all seemed so clear in hindsight.  
Even if he wasn’t angry, he was disappointed in himself. Now everyone was dead because of him, because he was too oblivious to see anything happen, and now his brothers were paying the price. 

When his chest almost gave out he could hear Cambino’s breathing stop. He knew he was still alive, he would now slowly lose the little oxygen left in his body and his brain would sit without oxygen and he would die. He was probably panicking in his head and he wanted so badly to get up and take him in his arms to help him through it. The fact that he couldn't be there for his brother as he lay there dying, hurt more than anything he had ever felt. 

He felt his own lungs stop and he tried to get them to move again but nothing worked, they wouldn’t fill anymore. Nothing he tried did anything to help, he already started to drift away, his entire body hurt, begging for more oxygen that he couldn’t give. His vision started to black out, then white, then back to black. 

He knew Cambino was gone already, he wondered if in hell, Federico had him in his arms right now, comforting him. He didn’t doubt it. Very soon, he would be there too to hold and comfort his little brother as well, he hoped Cambino would allow him to touch him. Maybe they were right now at this moment talking about how much they resent him. How he should have done more. 

His chest hurt. His entire body hurt. His heart was pounding to desperately try to pump the missing oxygen around. He felt tired and he just wanted to close his eyes and drift away but his eyes wouldn’t close. Aspen would want him to fight it, but he couldn't do it. He was weak. It was too late to do anything about it but he couldn't stop thinking about how he could have done it better. He could have prevented this, but he hadn’t. It was his fault. Cambino and Federico were dead because of him. Aspen would be grieving because of him. The entire clergy would be suffering because of him. 

There was nothing he could do anymore but suffer. His suffering was deserved. He accepted it. Without the energy to think about anything else, he slowly gave in to the darkness. His body didn't hurt anymore, he could peacefully drift away.


End file.
